For those of you who are unaware, today marks the last time we will venture to “The Big House” until at least 2020. And while I feel like the Notre Dame is the dumper in this tumultuous relationship, officially refusing to renew the contract and leaving Michigan to play the role of the jilted lover, I have to admit I’m still a little more than sad at the parting. I shudder to think “depressed” may be the opportune word to describe what I’m feeling.
The first Notre Dame game I ever saw played was the 2008 Notre Dame vs. Michigan match-up. I convinced my dad and brother to endure the despicable rainy weather and unfortunate recent history of the games (Notre Dame was badly defeated in the previous two) in order to witness a solid victory for our Fighting Irish. I still remember the comradery I felt with the fans sitting around me, the pain in my vocal cords from cheering so loudly, and the buzz of excitement that seemed to thickly blanket the entirety of the stadium. There are many reasons why I’m sad that this may be the last time I venture to that disgusting school to the north and watch my favorite team take on a bitter rival, but if I had to narrow it down these are the top five reasons I might shed a tear after this game and definitely will after our football team dominates those silly wolverines at home in 2014:
1. Nostalgia: Our Notre Dame Fighting Irish played their first official football game against the Michigan Wolverines in 1887. The first night game in Notre Dame stadium history was played against the Wolverines in 1982. I know many people who have claimed to grow up anticipating this historic game, including and Irish fan favorite… Mark May (ew.). How true some of these statements are revolved around the proclaimer’s age as the modern rivalry began in 1978 and the teams have met every year since then excluding three, brief two-year hiatuses. Regardless, the Fighting Irish have been playing the Wolverines for a very long time, and as a sentimental and relatively history obsessed girl, letting this game go so easily is a little hard to comprehend.
2. One-Upping: “Anything Michigan does Notre Dame does better, we can do anything better than you.” But in all seriousness, from upgrading “Azure Blue” and “Michigan Maize” to Navy Blue and Gold (come on Michigan when did corn become a color?) to writing an expertly endorsed superior fight song (Thanks Prof. Studwell, author of College Fight Songs: An Annotated Anthology), yes we can do anything better than you Michigan. Cause lets be honest, you have baton twirlers, and we have the Irish Guard.
3. Getting Nasty: If there’s one thing I love the most about one-upping; it gives my “getting nasty” fire plenty of fuel. And that’s another thing about this rivalry I love. It gives me the opportunity to shed my friendly and joyous ND exterior and let the slightly angrier, a little feistier, and much more sarcastic version of me (and many other ND fans) out of the closet. When else are you going to hear a nice Catholic refer to someone (albeit, a town) as a whore? Additionally, my personal favorite, and almost explicit, “Muck Fichigan” t-shirts appear almost omni-present on this weekend. While I value the friendly atmosphere the ND fans usually create, I enjoy the limited opportunity to let out a little anger. Because in all honesty, it’s REALLY hard not to get psyched for a game day when the week before has been casually referred to as “hate week.”
4. Quality: Ignoring the more superficial aspects of this rivalry meeting, the quality of these games is something that the college football community will definitely miss. These programs rank #1 and #2 in winning percentage and #1 and #3 in all time football program wins. These games have employed some college greats, from Joe Montana to Denard Robinson, left fans biting their nails with seconds left on the clock like in 1980,1993, and 2009, and given us crazy plays like Rocket Ismail returning two consecutive Michigan kickoffs for touchdowns, Reggie Brooks being knocked unconscious scoring a touchdown, and Tate Forceir’s last second touchdown pass to Greg Matthews.
5. Cliff Hangers: At the end of this rivalry, the “winner” can only be determined by who has the superior number of wins. However, going into Saturday’s game. Notre Dame and Michigan are tied for wins in the modern era of this rivalry. This is not good because with only two games left in this series, this rivalry could conclude in an inconclusive tie. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty competitive and I enjoy, well, WINNING. The thought that this series could end inconclusively has me about ready to build a stadium and hold a tie breaker myself, because although we all know who the better team is, having undeniable proof to rub in every snide Michigan fan’s face would be pretty nice. However, I suppose in the end we’ll always have that “It’s all right, it’s okay, you’re going to work for us one day” thing to fall back on. Thanks Mendoza.